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Comment by deadbabe | Hacker News Reader

Presidency can’t be extended by wars.

FDR's tenure might have created an amendment to that effect, but it's not like this administration hasn't used a legal loophole before.

Perhaps there's a war, that a misguided congress won't declare as such, and a certain vice president that runs for president, with a certain someone as his vice president...

See https://www.culawreview.org/current-events-2/the-22nd-amendm...

Specifically section on martial law in wartime context. It’s not very clear but I just feel like the norms and laws will be stretched or broken, as the administration has already done numerous times.

Not constitutionally, at any rate.

What would happen if he tried by not vacating at the end of his term, when challenged in court, shut down by his own Supreme Court? I mean let’s be real, all it really takes is him not giving up the white house. I sometimes wonder.

We went through this when it looked like he might not leave last time. What happens is the Marines show up and politely throw his ass to the curb.

You do not under any circumstances gotta hand it to the American military but they do seem unwilling to play a role in Trump's let's say extraconstitutional ambitions. At least a junta doesn't seem likely. Without the military behind him he's just a senile old pedophile. What's he going to do, lock himself into the Oval Office?

The military is the one drone striking boats in the Caribbean. The military invaded a foreign country we are not at war with to kidnap its leader. The military dropped bombs on a foreign country we are not at war with. The military is patrolling the streets of DC and other cities. The military is the one spending the money on new immigrant detention centers. I fail to see how they are standing up to Trump's illegal acts. I'm not 100% sure the White House Marines will just throw Trump to the curb if Congress manages to certify the election in favor of someone else.

The military drone striked civilians in Obama's day, they did Abu Ghraib and Agent Orange and countless other war crimes. But aiding a President in a coup would be beyond the pale. Maybe I'm being naive, but I do think a lot of soldiers would refuse to do that even if they could contextualize and compartmentalize everything else.

Those are things the military wanted to do anyway, Trump just enabled them.

But violating the constitution with such a blatant power grab, and thus throwing the future of the United States and its military into uncertainty, is probably not something they want. Better to just force Trump out and maintain the status quo of new presidents every 4-8 years.

Steve Bannon advised Trump to do this in 2020. Question is what would the Secret Service and Pentagon do once the election is certified for the winning candidate? If their loyalty remains to the Constitution, Trump would be forcibly removed.

… not yet. The problem with a norm breaking presidency like Trump’s and the GOP power structure is that no norm is safe, including elections.

Zelensky's presidency was supposed to end couple of years ago. Would it be different in USA?

Yes,

Different constitutions. Were you trying to muddy the waters, or are you just ignorant of the details?

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